Dorag with seamless front region

ABSTRACT

A dorag head covering of one continuous piece of material including opposite tie straps extending sideways out from a front region for being tied around the head. Since the dorag is made of one continuous piece of material, its front region is smooth and seamless. With no seam in the front region of the dorag, no seam line impression forms in the hair after the dorag is removed. The rear region is formed of two flaps seamed together at neighboring edges to form a cap. The blank for forming the dorag is described and a method for forming the dorag from the blank is described.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Hairstyles, particularly worn by men of African descent, in the present time, may include waves in the hair. Especially when the hair normally is tightly curled, as is often the case with a man of African descent, it is often considered a desirable hairstyle for the hair to be wavy rather than tightly curled.

In order to convert curly hair to a wavy hairstyle, men with curly hair may apply a hair relaxing agent, typically a pomade, which causes tightly curled hair to relax and enables the relaxed hair to be reshaped into waves over the head in place of the curls. In order to shape the hairstyle into a wavy hairstyle, to hold the wavy hairstyle and not permit it to return to its previously curled condition, men of African descent have worn head coverings, which press on the typically pomaded hair, hold the waves and effectively “train” the hair to a wavy hairstyle.

A typical current head and hair covering worn by men of African descent is called a dorag and is often worn for maintaining and training a hairstyle or hairdo. A typical dorag consists of a thin fabric that is worn over the hair. It includes two bands or ties which extend out from opposite lateral sides at the front of the dorag to wrap around the head and to be fastened together, typically by being tied behind the head.

One typical type of dorag is formed by attaching two separated pieces of fabric along a continuous seam that extends down the back flap of the dorag, over the top of the head covering cap portion, and down the front of the dorag which extends onto the forehead. The opposing joined edges of the two pieces are shaped and curved so that when joined, they form a cap shape at the cap portion which is generally profiled to the shape of a head. When the dorag is placed on the head, because of the cap shape fitted to the head, the dorag will not develop folds or will develop minimal folds as it conforms to the head. Each fold potentially can form a line or impression in the hairdo or hair wave on which the dorag is applied, defeating the purpose of the dorag to hold a neat hairdo or hair wave. A shaped dorag largely avoids the problem caused by folds but, it still has the seam or joinder between its two pieces, so a line or impression will develop in the hairdo or wave, and a wearer wants to avoid that.

A seam, particularly in the front region of the dorag, i.e. the portion that extends over the top of the head and down to the forehead, often leaves an impression or line in the hair once the dorag is removed. Since a wearer usually applies the dorag as tightly as possible on the head to draw the dorag down on the hair to form and hold waves, there is an almost unavoidable formation of a line due to the seam in the dorag.

One solution to the creation of an impression or line in the hair is to provide a one piece, seamless dorag. However, those typically available are initially formed completely flat, without a preshaped or preformed cap region. A flat dorag is wrapped over the top of the head. This develops folds or wrinkles in the previously flat piece of material of the dorag, which may leave a line or impression in the hair. A user will try to avoid this by pulling the dorag down as tightly as he can over his head, in an effort to stretch the cloth to eliminate the wrinkles and folds. But, that may not succeed in achieving what is sought.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is for application of force to tighten the dorag down on the hair without leaving an impression or line in the hair caused by a seam line of the dorag.

The invention concerns forming the dorag of one continuous piece of material across at least the front region of the head covering or cap of the dorag and between the tie straps, so that the front region is smooth and seamless against the hair. Before assembly, in one version, the dorag is a single piece of material comprised of two main flaps with edges that will be brought into abutment and attached together, e.g., by being seamed. The flaps do not extend all the way to what will be the front of the dorag, but the front region of the dorag is a single unseamed strip extending from one tie band over the front region to the other tie band. When the flaps are turned rearwardly and their then opposing edges are brought together and attached or seamed, the head covering portion of the dorag is formed. Because of the selected shapes of the flaps, the head covering is formed as a pocket which receives the top of the head, and the front region of the head covering is seamless across the head and the front of the hairdo covered by the dorag.

Since there is no seam in the front and front region of the dorag, when the dorag applies pressure downwardly, no seam line impression is left in the hair when the dorag is removed.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description which refers to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view of a dorag lying flat to illustrate the invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a blank of fabric which is appropriately shaped and cut, shown flat before forming the blank into a dorag;

FIG. 3 illustrates an intermediate step in forming a dorag from the blank in FIG. 2;

FIGS. 4 is a perspective view from the side showing a completed dorag formed from the blank in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 illustrates the dorag on the head, showing no seam at the front before the dorag is attached;

FIG. 6 illustrates the dorag secured on the head; and

FIG. 7 is a rear view of the dorag on the head showing the seam between the flaps thereof

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows a dorag 10 according to the present invention as it might appear lying flat or on a surface. The dorag is a kerchief-like, essentially uniform, single piece of a flexible, slightly stretchable, fabric material and usually is of a material that is porous to allow the head and scalp to “breathe”. It can be shaped so that its head covering, central portion or 12 cap is shaped to cover the wearer's entire head and its rear region 14 can hang down over the back of the head and perhaps over the neck or can be rolled up to tie straps 42, 44, described below.

The dorag is formed of a single piece of material that is initially in the form of a blank 20 having the form and shape illustrated in FIG. 2. The blank 20 has a central front region 40 which would be toward the front of the eventual dorag. The blank 20 comprises two flaps 22 and 24 which start rearward of a front region 40 and then initially extend in generally opposite directions sideways.

A notch 26 is defined by curved opposing edges 28, 32 of the flaps 22, 24. The curved edges 28, 32 merge outwardly to the sides into respective rearwardly facing edges 36 and 38 of the flaps 22 and 24, respectively.

Extending left and right from the central region are respective tie straps 42 and 44. The tie straps 42, 44 are long enough to together be tied around the head (FIG. 7) for holding the dorag securely on the head. The notch 26 extends between the flaps 22, 24 but is not deep enough as to extend into the central front region 40, and the notch 26 terminates slightly to the rear of the front region and of the straps 42 and 44. The flaps are separated from the straps at cuts 46, 48, so that the flaps can be moved toward each other to form the head covering of the dorag.

FIGS. 2-4 show how the dorag hereof is assembled from the blank 20. As shown in FIG. 3, the flaps 22 and 24 are drawn toward each other so that their by that time neighboring, opposing edges 28, 32 and 36, 38 are brought together or to abutment, as shown in FIG. 4. There the neighboring edges are attached e.g. at a seam 50 which is, formed, e.g., by sewing, forming a welt, etc. which holds the edges 28, 32 securely together. Because of the shape of the edges 28, 32 and the notch 26, as the edges 36 and 38 of the notch are brought together, the portion of the dorag at the notch does not lie flat, but instead forms a pocket, pouch or cap, as at 12 in FIG. 1 which, when opened, fits over the head of a wearer for holding the hairdo, as seen in FIG. 4. The flaps 22, 24 are so shaped that when their neighboring edges 36, 38 are sewn together along the seam 50 in the center of the dorag, a cap shaped covering is formed, curved to the shape of a head, as seen in FIGS. 4-7. Without the shaping of the eventually attached together flaps, as in FIG. 2, and the subsequent seaming together of their opposing edges, the cap shape would not be developed.

The invention concerns not extending the separate panels 22, 24 and the seam 50 forward to the front region 40 of the dorag 10, as is otherwise conventional. Instead, the front 52 of the dorag, which goes down on the forehead, and the front region 40 of the head covering cap include no seam, as at 50, but are seamless between the below described laterally extending tie straps 22, 24 and also rearwardly on the head covering cap for a distance. When the dorag is tightened down on the head, there is no seam at the front and front region of the head covering to form an impression in the hairstyle of the wearer.

The front edge of the dorag has a continuous welting 52 on the edge of the fabric which extends over the edge of both tie straps 42 and 44.

FIG. 5 is a front view of a dorag as it would appear when it is on the head of a wearer with the tie straps 42 and 44 out to the side. FIGS. 6 and 7 show the tie straps placed behind the head of the wearer and tied behind the head. This draws the heading covering portion 12 down on the head.

When the tie straps are tied behind the head, as in FIG. 7, the dorag 10 is held tightly on the head, and because the front region 40 of the dorag is seamless, no seam line impression is left in the hair when the dorag is removed, as might occur with a conventional dorag.

Although the present invention has been described in relation to a particular embodiment thereof, many other variations and modifications and other uses will become apparent to those skilled in the art. It is preferred, therefore, that the present invention be limited not by the specific disclosure herein, but only by the appended claims. 

1. A dorag head covering comprised of one continuous piece of material, the head covering comprising a flexible layer for being applied over the head, the layer comprising a head covering region including a front region to be worn at the front of the head and including a rear region to extend at the rear of the head; a left and right tie strap attached at the front region of the dorag, each strap extending out from the front region of the dorag and the tie straps together being long enough to be wrapped around the head of the wearer and to be tied at the rear region of the dorag; a seam extends in and along the flexible layer starting rearward of the front region of the head covering region and down along the rear region of the head covering region and the seam not extending forward over the front region, wherein there is no seam extending forward over the front region.
 2. The head covering of claim 1, further comprising the head covering front region and the tie straps having a front edge; and a welting extending along the front edge of the dorag and extending along the left and right tie straps along the front edge.
 3. The head covering of claim 1, wherein the head covering region rearward of the front region and the rear region are together defined by left and right flaps of the flexible layer, the flaps having neighboring, opposing edges which are together and the seam running along the neighboring edges between the flaps; and the flaps being separate from the tie straps and being joined to the tie straps at the front region of the head covering.
 4. A blank for forming a dorag head covering comprised of one continuous flexible piece of material, the blank comprising a front region, left and right straps extending opposite left and right directions away from the front region, and the two straps and the front region together forming a continuous seamless part of the blank; a pair of left and right flaps rearward of the front region and rearward of the tie straps, being separate from the tie straps, joined to the front region, and initially extending left and right from where they are joined to the front region, wherein the flaps are shaped and oriented to have initially rearward facing edges which face rearwardly of the blank; the blank being sufficiently flexible and the edges and the flaps being so shaped and sized that the rearward facing edges may be brought together and joined to define a head covering, and the joinder between the flap edges not extending into the front region of the head covering.
 5. The blank of claim 4, wherein the flaps are initially joined, behind the front region of the head covering; the rearward facing edges of the flaps near to where the flaps are initially joined are curved toward the front region to define a notch shape between the rearward edges of the flaps, the shapes of notch defining edges in the notch are such that when the notch defining edges are brought together, the notch shape causes the flaps to define a cap shape which can serve as a receptacle for a head inside the head covering defined by the seamed together flaps.
 6. A method of forming a dorag head covering comprising providing a blank of a flexible layer of material having flaps on the rear part of the blank, the flaps having neighboring edges which may be brought together; and the flaps being separated from tie straps on the blank; the method comprising: bringing the flaps toward each other so that their neighboring edges meet to define a rear region, and joining the edges that have met to form a head covering, without joining edges of flaps onto a front region of the head covering so that the front region is without a seam extending forward over the front region.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the joining is done by seaming the neighboring edges together. 